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FOOD AND DRINK

What are the rules for setting up a food truck in Spain?

Food trucks have become trendy, sought-after additions to festivals and events in Spain. If you're interested in setting up your own food truck in Spain, here's everything you need to know, from the legal requirements to some tips.

Published: 17 March 2023 16:26 CET
Updated: 21 May 2024 08:44 CEST
What are the rules for setting up a food truck in Spain?
How to set up a food truck in Spain. (Joenomias) Menno de Jong / Pixabay

In Spain, you may occasionally see several churros vans on the streets, but the majority of food trucks come out during festivals or markets.

In cities like Barcelona for example, food trucks are all the rage at events and the city even has a food truck collective called Van Van, which appears at all the city celebrations and markets. 

According to LACOMMA, a Spanish food truck manufacturer, demand for food trucks has tripled since the pandemic. The explanation for this growth lies in the low investment required to start the business and in how the hospitality sector, one of the hardest hit by COVID-19, has reinvented itself since. 

There are even food trucks in Spain run by chefs with Michelin stars such as Carlos Maldonado from Talaverano, who continues to drive his food truck to events, and Dabiz Muñoz, who has a food truck in the centre of Madrid.

If you want to start a food business in Spain, but don’t have the capital or the know-how to open a restaurant, then you may want to consider a food truck instead. The initial investment to create such a business is much less than that needed for a restaurant.

It’s possible to start your food truck business with around €15,000. The truck itself is going to be your biggest expense. You could go for a cheaper vintage model that may bring more character to your brand or a more expensive modern air-conditioned one, that will help you during the long hot Spanish summers. 

READ ALSO: Nine bright business ideas that haven’t been exploited in Spain yet

But, it’s not just all about the money, as with many different processes in Spain the legal and administrative sides can be tricky to navigate. This is because, as well as having to adhere to European regulations on food hygiene, each region also has its own slightly different rules. Since there is no regulation on a national level, each region will have different requisites too. 

The first step when trying to legalise your food truck is to go to your ayuntamiento or town hall and find out the steps in your local area, as they are the ones who will be in charge of granting your final permit. 

Requirements

One of the first documents you’ll need is your Food Handler Certificate to certify that you can handle and prepare food in a safe way and that you’re not going to give your customers food poisoning. 

You must also take into account the type of truck you want to use. If your truck weighs more than 3,500 kilos, it is mandatory to obtain a truck driver’s licence too. The lighter ones can be driven with a normal licence.

In order to set yourself up legally as a self-employed person you will also have to register as autónomo and register yourself in the corresponding IAE epigraph for your industry. Most gestores or accountants in Spain can easily help you with this process. Once you have done this you will also need to sign up for the Social Security system, meaning you will contribute monthly fees. 

READ ALSO – Self-employed in Spain: What you should know about being ‘autónomo’

Regional differences

It’s important to decide where to park your truck or if it will move to various locations, this will all depend on the rules made by your City Council, as established by Royal Decree 199/2010. Sometimes you may not be able to have a permanent space on the street and may have to just stick with going to festivals and events instead. 

Depending on your area, there may also be more documents you will need than the ones above. Your ayuntamiento or town hall should be able to tell you which ones you will need. 

Business tips 

Deciding what type of food to sell from your truck may be one of the hardest decisions. It could be easy to go with much-loved classics like burgers, pizzas or hot dogs, but there’s already a lot of competition for food trucks of that type. Find a niche to stand out from the crowd by offering vegan food for example, Thai curries or Chinese bao buns, or whatever you are personally good at making. 

To get some inspiration, take a look at Lonely Planet’s Around the World in 80 Food Trucks book, which features several of the most successful food trucks in various regions across Spain, as well as recipes from some of their most popular dishes. 

Remember, it’s not enough to just have your truck, these days you need a good brand and an online presence. It’s important to create a website and create social media handles to promote your truck and its offerings.

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For members

WORKING IN SPAIN

What’s the law on having two jobs in Spain?

With the current cost of living crisis, working more than one job is becoming more and more common, but what are the rules on working multiple contracted jobs in Spain and the tax implications of this?

Published: 25 June 2024 13:24 CEST
What's the law on having two jobs in Spain?

Often it’s necessary to have more than one job at a time, particularly if they don’t pay well and you’re struggling to make ends meet.

In fact, historically that is part of the reason why establishments stay open so late and why siestas were so common – because people would have one job in the morning and then go home for a rest before starting their second.

This is still commonplace today and is in fact becoming more and more popular, with the rise in the cost of living, driving an increasing number of people to take up a second job.

Whatever your reasons for having two jobs or more – to save up more money or gain extra experience and work your way up, there are some financial implications you should be aware of.

What does the law say?

Currently in Spain, there is no restriction that prevents a person from having a second job, with two contracts in two different companies, for 80 hours a week.

According to data from the first quarter of this year from the Active Population Survey (EPA) prepared by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the number of people with a second job in Spain stands at 591,300, although according to affiliation data of Social Security, some 800,000 people have more than one position.

This trend has been seen in each quarter of the EPA since 2022 and, right now, is close to a historic number.

Categories you should be aware of

There are two types of categories when you work in multiple jobs in Spain – these are pluriempleo and pluriactividad. Pluriempleo literally means multiple employment. This is understood as a person who works as an employee in two or more companies under the same Social Security regime.

In this way, it differs from pluriactividad or multiple activities, which is when people work for others and have their own business at the same time or their second job is under a different social security regime.

For example, if you work as a hotel receptionist in the morning and then in a restaurant at night, these positions are considered to be part of the same regime, but if you work in a hotel in the morning and then as a nurse in a hospital at night, these are two different careers and therefore social security regimes.

If you’re self-employed as well as having a contract job, this is a slightly different situation. To find out more, read our guide below. 

READ ALSO – Self-employed in Spain: What are the tax rules if you do two or more jobs?

What are the tax and social security implications?

If you have two separate jobs, you are required by law to report your situation to Social Security, and to each of the companies you’re employed by.

When it comes to the Tax Agency, it’s important to note that you are obliged to submit your yearly Income Tax return (Renta), when you are paid by more than one employer and your income exceeds €22,000 per year.

READ ALSO – EXPLAINED: The key changes to Spain’s 2023/2024 annual tax return

In 2024, the maximum social security contribution base for employees has been set at €4,720.50 per month. This means, that regardless of whether your income from two positions exceeds this amount, the social security base will not be more than this.

The amount of IRPF (Personal Income Tax) must also be taken into account. If you are combining two contracts, it’s important to calculate the withholding tax.

This is because companies calculate personal income tax based on your annual compensation expectations. They do not take into account the existence of another job, so they apply the discount depending on what they are paying you only.

This means that they will keep less than what they should and when you’re filling out your Renta yearly income tax return, you will most likely have to pay the extra to make up the difference. 

In this case, you should request that both companies calculate personal income tax according to your earnings, so that you can get a good idea of the amount you have to pay working two positions.

You may also consider hiring a gestor or accountant to file your yearly tax return for you if you have a particularly complicated situation and work three or more jobs for example. 

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